UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA    PUBLICATIONS 

IN 

AGRICULTURAL    SCIENCES 

Vol.  3,  No.  1,  pp.  1-24,  plates  1-8  July  13,  1917 


NEW  GRASSES  FOR  CALIFORNIA,  I 
PHALARIS  STENOPTERA  HACK. 


BY 

P.  B.  KENNEDY 


A  survey  of  the  soil  and  climatic  conditions  of  California  soon 
revealed  the  fact  that  most  of  our  grasses,  the  seed  of  which  is  now 
procurable  on  the  market,  could  not  establish  themselves  and  produce 
a  strong  sod  on  lands  not  susceptible  of  irrigation.  Over  large  areas 
of  the  state  there  are  good  soils  receiving  moisture  only  in  the  form 
of  rain  on  which  there  is  no  green  pasturage  for  stock  soon  after  the 
rains  cease.  This  condition  may  set  in  as  early  in  the  season  as  May 
1,  and  may  continue  during  some  seasons  into  November  or  even 
December.  Therefore  a  perennial  grass  that  will  withstand  the  winter 
temperatures  as  well  as  the  long,  dry  season  in  the  great  central 
valleys  would  be  of  great  value  to  the  live-stock  industry  of  California. 
Recent  investigations  and  experiments  lead  me  to  believe  that  I  have 
found  such  a  grass. 

Several  years  ago  an  illustration  of  a  grass  in  a  trial  plot  in  a 
seedsman's  catalogue  from  South  Africa  attracted  the  author's  atten- 
tion. The  report  of  its  behavior  under  conditions  of  heavy  frosts  and 
long  droughts  made  it  appear  that  it  might  prove  valuable  under 
California  conditions.  Sufficient  seed  was  purchased  to  sow  one- 
twentieth  of  an  acre  only,  as  it  was  too  costly  to  be  considered 
in  larger  quantities.  It  was  called  perennial  canary  grass,  or  Too- 
woomba  grass,  Phalaris  bullosa.  Perhaps  the  most  authentic  account 
of  the  introduction  of  this  grass  is  to  be  found  in  the  following  letter 
received  from  Mr.  E.  E.  Harding,  curator  of  the  botanic  gardens, 
Toowoomba,  Queensland. 


2  University  of  California  Publications  in  Agricultural  Sciences       [Vol.  3 

In  1883  I  received  twenty-one  packets  of  seeds  from  Italy.  These  I  put 
in  the  nursery.  All  germinated,  but  the  frost  killed  all  except  this  wonderful 
grass,  Phalaris  commut-ata.  In  two  years  it  had  taken  possession  of  nearly  the 
whole  plot  of  ground  in  the  nursery  from  the  seed  self-sown. 

It  is  a  perennial.  We  had  to  remove  the  grass,  so  we  dumped  the  root-clumps 
in  a  corner  on  hard  ground,  but  it  still  grew  to  five  feet  in  height.  This  was 
during  the  drouth  and  frost,  and  although  it  was  cut  it  grew  again. 


Mr.  Harding  also  concludes  with  the  statement  that  it  was  dis- 
tributed by  him  to  all  the  Colonies,  Africa,  and  even  Italy.  As  will 
be  pointed  out  later,  neither  Phalaris  bulbosa  nor  Phalaris  commutata 
is  the  correct  scientific  name  for  this  grass,  as  those  names  belong  to 
other  and  distinct  species. 

The  seed  secured  from  South  Africa  under  the  name  of  Phalaris 
bulbosa  proved  to  be  a  strong  perennial  and  to  be  pure,  but  not  true 
to  name.  In  the  same  year  we  planted  a  twentieth-acre  plot  with  seed 
also  called  Phalaris  bulbosa  secured  from  seedsmen  in  Australia.  It 
proved  for  the  most  part  to  be  an  annual  Phalaris  and  not  the  same 
species  as  that  from  South  Africa,  although  received  under  the  same 
name.  That  there  were  a  few  seeds  in  this  lot  of  the  perennial  species 
corresponding  exactly  to  the  grass  from  South  Africa  was  evident,  as 
some  fifteen  or  twenty  plants  in  the  plot  sown  to  the  Australian  seed 
lived  throughout  the  next  winter  and  summer,  finally  forming  strong 
clumps. 

The  following  year  I  noticed  a  sack  of  seed  exhibited  by  the  New 
Zealand  Government  at  the  Panama  Pacific  International  Exposition. 
This,  too,  was  labeled  Phalaris  bulbosa.  The  seed  was  so  similar  in 
appearance  to  the  South  African  lot  that  at  the  close  of  the  Expo- 
sition we  arranged  for  its  purchase.  "When  grown,  however,  it  proved 
to  be  an  annual  and  not  the  desirable  perennial  grass  called  Phalaris 
bulbosa  as  received  from  South  Africa. 

A  large  number  of  packets  from  this  sack  were  secured  with  per- 
mission from  the  New  Zealand  authorities  by  representatives  of  many 
experiment  stations  and  by  the  United  States  Department  of  Agri- 
culture. We  desire  simply  to  call  attention  to  this  to  avoid  further 
confusion  and  to  make  plain  the  fact  that  Phalaris  bulbosa  as  dis- 
tributed at  the  Exposition  is  not  the  same  as  the  perennial  Phalaris 
bulbosa  ( ?)  from  South  Africa.  It  is  the  latter  grass  that  we  desire 
to  introduce  into  California,  as  the  annual  species  do  not  offer  any 
especial  characteristics  that  would  make  them  any  more  valuable 
either  as  pasture  or  hay  than  the  cereal  hays  now  so  extensively  and 


1917]  Kennedy:  New  Grasses  for  California,  I  3 

satisfactorily  utilized.  That  much,  if  not  all,  of  the  seed  of  Phalaris 
now  on  the  markets  of  New  Zealand  and  Australia  is  hopelessly  mixed 
seems  to  be  certain ;  and  also  that  a  selection  of  the  perennial  species 
will  have  to  be  made  before  one  can  recommend  the  purchase  of  seed 
from  those  countries. 

A  careful  comparison  of  our  perennial  plant  as  grown  at  the 
University  Farm  with  the  original  descriptions  of  Phalaris  bidbosa 
and  Phalaris  commutata  soon  proved  that  it  could  be  neither  of  those 
species.  On  further  search  of  the  literature,  including  descriptions 
of  some  twenty  additional  species,  the  author  failed  to  find  a  descrip- 
tion that  would  agree  with  our  grass.  I  was  about  to  describe  it  as 
a  new  species  when  a  paper  entitled  "Gramineae  Novae,"  by  Eduard 
Hackel,  was  discovered,  in  a  somewhat  obscure  publication,  which 
described  the  species  in  question.  In  order  that  this  original  descrip- 
tion may  be  made  more  readily  accessible  to  agronomists,  we  are 
including  it  here.  We  have  been  distributing  seed  from  our  plot 
at  the  University  Farm  and  more  or  less  confusion  is  likely  to  occur, 
as  it  has  been  distributed  under  the  incorrect  name  of  Phalaris 
bulbosa.  This  grass  is  not  described  or  mentioned  in  any  American 
literature  on  grasses  and  forage  plants. 

The  following  description  with  the  accompanying  illustrations 
shoidd  aid  in  its  identification. 

Gramineae  Novae  IV.  Eduard  Hackel  in  Fedde,  Repertorium  novarum 
Specierum  Begni  Yegetabilis,  5,   1908,  p.   333. 

Phalaris  stenoptera  Hack.,  nov.  spec. 
Perennis,  caespitosa,  sine  stolonibus.  Innovationes  extravaginales,  squamis 
elongatis  herbaceis  purpurascentibus  fultae.  Culmi  erecti,  robusti,  ultra  1.5  m. 
alti,  teretes,  glaberrimi,  plurinodes,  simplices,  internodiis  basalibus  non  incrassatis. 
Vaginae  teretes,  arctae,  internodiis  breviores,  glaberrimae.  LigvJa  rotundata  v. 
subtruncata,  5-7  mm.  lg.,  denticulata,  siccando  fissa,  glabra.  Laminae  linearis, 
sensim  acuminatae,  innovationum  longissimae  (50  cm.  v.  ultra),  1.2-1.5  cm.  latae, 
culmeae  superoires  abbreviatae,  omnes  flaccidulae  v.  rigidulae,  glaberrimae  vel 
margine  et  in  pagina  superiore  versus  apicem  scaberulae,  virides,  tenui-nerves. 
Panicula  spieiformis  linearis  vel  lineari-oblonga,  6-16  cm.  longa,  circ,  1.5  cm. 
lata,  densissima,  baud  interrupta,  non  vel  obselete  lobata,  rhachi  laevi,  ramis 
appressis  ramulosis  multispiculatis,  pedicellis  quam  spiculae  plures  v.  multoties 
brevioribus  scabris.  Spiculae  elliptieo-lanceolatae,  5-6  mm.  longa,  albido-viridulae, 
marginibus  viridi-striatae.  Glumae  steriles  2  inferiores  aequales,  naviculares, 
acutiusculae,  carina  in  §  superioribus  anguste  (in  gluma  I,  angustissime  vel  sub- 
obselete)  alatae,  ala  integra  in  apicem  sensim  decurrente,  scaberula,  trinerves,  nervis 
(uno  in  basi  alae,  duobus  ad  latera)  saturate  viridibus.  Gluma  III  nulla,  IV  vacua 
1  mm.  longa  e  squamula  callosa  ovata  0.3  mm.  longa  et  ex  appendice  membranaeeo 
lanceolato   0.7-0.8   mm.   longo   infra  apicem   squamulae   inserto   apice   penicillato- 


4  University  of  California  Publications  in  Agricultural  Sciences       [Vol.  3 

ciliato  constans.  Gluma  V  (fertilis)  3.5  mm.  longa  ovato-laneeolata,  acuta,  ehar- 
tacea,  appresse  pubescens,  tenuissime  5  nervis.  Palae  glumam  aequans,  angustior, 
carina  ciliolata.  Antherae  3.5  mm.  longae.  Ovarium  glabrum.  Caryopseos  macula 
hilaris  fere  dimidiam  caryopsin  aequans. 

Patria  ignota,  culta  in  Australia  sub  nomine  Phalaridis  commutatae.  Plantain 
et  semina  misit  A.  J.  Ewart,  Melbourne. 

Es  ist  auffallend,  dass  diese  gut  unterschiedene  Art,  welche  in  Australien  als 
Futtergrass  gebaut  und  sehr  geriihmt  wird,  bisher  meines  Wissens  nirgends 
besehrieben  wurde.  In  Australien  wurde  sie  durch  Mr.  Harding,  Kurator  des 
Botanischen  Gartens  in  Tuwumba,  Queensland  (unbekannt  woher)  under  dem 
Namen  Pit.  commutata  eingefuhrt  und  unter  diesem  Namen  von  Samenhandlern 
in  Melbourne  verbreitet.  Ein  mir  vorliegendes  Beklameblatt  zeigt  die  Darstellung 
eines  dicliten  Easens  van  angeblich  7  Fuss  (2.2  m.)  Hohe,  der  nach  dem  Schnitt 
in  46  Tagen  wieder  einen  41  Zoll  (106  cm.)  hohen  Rasen  hervorgetrieben  hatte. 
Besonders  wird  sein  wert  als  Wiutergras  hervorgehoben. 


This  excellent  detailed  description  agrees  with  our  grass  from 
South  Africa  in  everything  but  the  sterile  florets.  As  these  are  used 
as  the  chief  distinguishing  characters  in  the  genus  to  separate  one 
species  from  another,  a  disagreement  in  regard  to  these  particular 
structures  makes  a  positive  identification  difficult.  Our  specimens 
show  a  variation  in  the  sterile  florets,  one  1.5  mm.  in  length  and 
the  other  much  smaller,  .7  mm.  The  latter  may  be  reduced  to  a  mere 
point  protruding  from  the  ovate  scale  (pi.  1,  fig.  4). 

Hackel's  description  is  as  follows: 

Gluma  III  nulla,  IV  vacua  1  mm.  longa  . .  .  infra  apicem  squamulae  inserto 
apice  penicillato-ciliato  constans. 

That  Hackel  seemed  convinced  that  there  was  constantly  only  one 
sterile  floret  is  emphasized  by  the  fact  that  in  a  discussion  of  the 
relationship  of  the  new  species,  he  writes  "doch  ist  der  Hullspelzen- 
fliigel  bei  Ph.  stenoptera  noch  schmaler  als  bei  Ph.  nodosa  und  es  ist 
stets  nur  eine  kleine  Leerspelze  (die  glume  IV)  am  Grunde  der  Vor- 
spelze";  also  "Ein  merkmal  aber,  das  sie  von  beiden  genannten  Arten 
(Ph.  arundinacea  and  Ph.  bidbosa)  scharf  trennt,  ist  das  Fehlen  der 
gluma  III,  das  mir  ganz  Konstant  zu  sein  scheint." 

Through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Harding,  who  forwarded  us  some  old 
seed  from  the  Botanic  Gardens  at  Toowoomba,  Queensland,  we  were 
able  to  examine  original  material.  There  were  present  in  the  packet 
some  spikelets  with  two  sterile  florets,  others  with  one  sterile  floret, 
and  another  very  minute  one  and  still  others  with  only  one  present. 
This  same  condition  was  found  in  our  specimens  grown  at  Davis  and 
which  may  be  seen  under  sheets  nos.  5000,  5001,  5002,  and  5003  of 


1917]  Kennedy:  New  Grasses  for  California,  I  5 

the  herbarium  of  the  Division  of  Agronomy,  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture, Berkeley.  Among  the  seeds  in  the  packet  from  Harding  was 
an  outer  glume  whose  narrow  wing  showed  distinctly  the  scaberulous 
margin  characteristic  of  Ph.  stenoptera. 

Haekel  mentions  that  he  received  the  plants  and  seeds  from  which 
he  drew  up  the  original  description  of  Ph.  stenoptera  from  A.  J. 
Ewart,  of  Melbourne.  Since  the  seeds  of  at  least  two  species  are  so 
hopelessly  mixed  in  Australia,  is  it  not  just  possible  that  the  seeds 
sent  to  Haekel  may  have  been  the  annual  species  which  constantly 
has  only  one  sterile  floret  and  that  the  plants  were  those  of  Ph. 
stenoptera,  the  perennial  species? 

A  most  interesting  fact  in  connection  with  this  grass  is  that  it 
should  not  have  been  described  from  Europe  previous  to  its  introduc- 
tion to  the  Toowoomba  Botanical  Gardens  by  seed  sent  from  Italy. 
Haekel  in  his  description  says  "Patria  ignota. "  This  from  such  a 
renowned  agrostologist  who  has  traversed  the  whole  of  southern 
Europe  many  times,  is  of  especial  significance.  Could  it  be  a  hybrid 
from  other  existing  species? 

Economic  Considerations 

The  giving  of  a  name  to  this  grass  which  will  be  suitable  for 
everyday  agricultural  usage  deserves  some  consideration.  Perennial 
canary  grass  is  not  desirable,  as  there  are  several  "perennial  canary" 
grasses.  Toowoomba  grass  is  too  unwieldy.  I  propose  to  call  it 
Harding  grass,  after  the  man  who  first  grew  it  in  Australia. 

Our  experiments  demonstrate  that  the  seed  may  be  sown  at  Davis 
during  the  winter  season  so  as  to  take  advantage  of  the  rains.  The 
young  plants,  although  very  slender,  almost  like  threads  coming- 
through  the  ground,  are  very  hardy  and  were  not  harmed  by  severe 
frosts.  At  the  same  time  cotyledons  of  such  hardy  species  as  Melilotus 
alba  turned  yellow  and  many  seedlings  were  killed  outright  by  the 
drouth  and  cold.  The  grass  grows  rapidly,  stooling  profusely,  and 
producing  large  clumps  the  first  season.  A  feature  of  great  merit 
from  a  pasture  standpoint  is  the  large  number  of  dense  leafy  shoots 
produced  from  the  base.  The  first  year  these  are  much  in  evidence 
and  comparatively  few  flowering  culms  are  sent  up.  These  are  only 
about  two  to  two  and  a  half  feet  tall  and  bear  short,  somewhat  ovate 
heads.  The  leafage  is  devoid  of  hairy  coverings  of  any  kind,  thus 
tending  towards  a  clean  hay  and  palatable  pasturage. 


(3  University  of  California  Publications  in  Agricultural  Sciences       [Vol.3 

The  roots  are  fibrous,  radiating  downwards  to  a  depth  of  one  or 
two  feet.  They  are  covered  with  a  downy  coating-  similar  to  that 
found  on  many  desert  grasses.  That  they  are  able  to  make  use  of 
slight  amounts  of  hygroscopic  moisture  in  the  soil  seems  possible,  as 
when  a,  clump  was  dug  up  and  placed  upon  the  surface  of  the  ground 
the  grass  continued  to  grow,  although  exposed  to  severe  conditions 
of  drouth  witli  no  rainfall  for  several  months. 

The  plot  of  Harding  grass  attracted  considerable  attention  during 
the  hot  summer  months,  with  its  long  green  leaves  showing  no  tend- 
ency to  wilt.  It  makes  a  decided  contrast  in  July  and  August  by 
its  vivid  green  among  the  dry  brown  stubble  of  the  cereals  and  other 
grasses  given  the  same  care  and  treatment.  We  also  had  occasion  to 
observe  its  behavior  during  the  winter.  On  the  coldest  morning,  with 
ice  everywhere,  we  visited  the  grass  plot  and  observed  the  hoar  frost 
on  the  leaves  and  the  ground  frozen,  yet  the  foliage  remained  green. 
Even  our  generally  recognized  hardy  grasses  like  Kentucky  blue- 
grass,  orchard  grass,  and  red  top  had  turned  brown. 

The  second  year  from  the  seed  it  still  maintained  a  dense  leafy 
growth  from  the  base  of  about  three  feet,  the  flowering  culms  extend- 
ing about  two  feet  higher,  making  a  total  height  of  five  feet.  This 
is  a  growth  rarely  reached  by  any  of  the  cultivated  perennial  species 
of  grasses  known  at  the  present  time. 

We  did  not  wish  to  be  understood  that  the  Harding  grass  will 
withstand  a  lower  or  as  low  a  temperature  as  our  common  hardy 
grasses  and  that  it  is  adapted  to  regions  with  severe  winters  as  in 
parts  of  the  east  or  middle  west.  As  yet  we  do  not  know  its  cold- 
resistant  qualities.  The  fact  that  it  remains  green  during  the  com- 
paratively mild  winters  at  Davis,  Yolo  County,  California,  does  not 
indicate  the  minimum  temperature  the  roots  may  withstand.  In- 
formation as  to  its  latitudinal  and  altitudinal  tolerance  is  not  at 
hand. 

In  order  that  some  comparison  may  be  made  as  to  the  probable 
adaptability  of  this  grass  to  other  states  and  to  different  parts  of 
California,  we  give  the  following  conditions  for  Davis. 

According  to  S.  H.  Beckett,  of  the  United  States  Department  of 
Agriculture,  "the  mean  annual  rainfall  is  16.54  inches,  the  greater 
part  of  which  comes  in  December,  January,  February,  and  March, 
while  from  May  to  October  very  little  rain  falls."  There  is  con- 
siderable variation  in  the  amount  of  rainfall  in  different  years. 
Frequently    it    amounts    to    20    inches,    but    occasionally    only    8.74 


1917]  Kennedy:  New  Grasses  for  California,  I  7 

inches  is  precipitated.  It  is  the  so-called  dry  3'ears  that  cause  a  short- 
age in  all  farm  crops  not  under  irrigation,  and  interfere  seriously 
with  the  pasturage  on  the  ranges.  The  mean  annual  temperature  is 
62.7°  F,  with  a  known  maximum  of  112°  F,  and  a  minimum  of  16°  F. 
Intense  sunshine  prevails  throughout  the  summer. 

Technically  the  soil  is  known  as  Yolo  silt  loam.  Professor  C.  F. 
Shaw  describes  it  as  follows : 

A  fine,  smooth-textured  brown  soil  at  the  surface,  grading  at  about  three  feet 
to  a  light  brown  subsoil  containing  slightly  more  clay  loam  or  clay.  It  is  usually 
free  from  gravel.  The  soil  when  wet  has  a  tendency  to  run  together  and  become 
puddled,  preventing  the  free  downward  percolation  of  water.  On  drying  it 
tends  to  form  a  crust  on  the  surface.  If  plowed  when  wet  it  forms  hard  clods 
and  lumps.  When  handled  in  the  proper  condition  of  moisture,  however,  it  be- 
comes loose  and  mellow.  It  has  good  moisture-holding  capacity,  is  very  pro- 
ductive, and  adaj)ted  to  a  wide  range  of  crops. 

That  the  soil  has  exceptionally  good  moisture-holding  capacity, 
especially  at  the  lower  depths,  is  shown  by  the  following  furnished 
us  by  Professor  B.  A.  Madson.  The  figures  represent  an  average  of 
several  plots  believed  to  be  similar  in  all  essential  details  to  that  on 
which  the  Harding  grass  was  grown. 


Moisture  Content  of  Soil, 

1916,  Davis 

Depth, 
feet 

"Per  cent 

Moisture, 

April  1 

Per  cent 

Moisture, 
May  25 

Per  cent 

Moisture, 

July  7 

Per  cent 
Moisture, 
Augvist  24 

1 

17.35 

10.34 

10.32 

7.44 

2 

21.91 

12.31 

12.66 

11.12 

3 

27.39 

20.75 

19.47 

17.00 

4 

27.98 

19.84 

20.21 

16.87 

5 

28.60 

25.44 

21.19 

22.01 

6 

34.44 

27.64 

28.98 

27.65 

The  land  on  which  the  experiment  with  Harding  grass  was  con- 
ducted had  for  many  years  previous  been  cropped  to  grain.  No 
manure,  artificial  fertilizer  or  irrigation  were  given  the  plot,  nor 
could  it  have  been  affected  by  moisture  from  any  adjacent  irrigation. 

A  strip  six  by  eighteen  feet  was  cut  from  the  plot  on  May  25, 
1916,  the  second  year  tpl.  7).  The  estimated  green  weight  of  forage 
per  acre  was  twenty  tons  and  of  cured  hay  three  tons.  There  still 
remained  on  the  ground  a  dense  aftermath  which  would  have  fur- 
nished good  pasturage.  The  average  yield  under  field  conditions 
can  not  be  ascertained  until  the  grass  has  been  grown  on  a  larger  area. 

The  remainder  of  the  twentieth-acre  plot  was  allowed  to  go  to 
seed.     From  this  we  harvested  seventeen  pounds  of  seed,  43  per  cent 


8  University  of  California  Publications  in  Agricultural  Sciences       [Vol.3 

of  which  germinated.  This  somewhat  low  viability  was  due  to  the 
fact  that  we  had  no  farming-mill  that  was  suitable  for  cleaning  grass- 
seed,  so  that  much  chaff  remained. 

From  this  home-grown  seed  we  have  sown  an  acre  in  rows  mainly 
for  seed  increase  purposes.  In  addition  we  have  distributed  a  large 
number  of  packets  to  co-operative  experimenters  in  different  parts  of 
the  state  in  order  to  find  out  the  range  of  soil  and  climate  in  which 
it  might  prove  valuable. 

In  regard  to  its  palatability,  1  have  not  yet  had  sufficient  personal 
experience  to  determine  this  with  certainty.  Nor  do  we  know  its 
chemical  composition  or  nutritive  value.  We  fed  some  of  the  hay 
to  work-horses  accustomed  to  alfalfa  and  they  ate  it  readily.  Reports 
from  other  sources  would  lead  us  to  believe  that  it  is  well  liked  by 
stock.  The  following  excerpt  from  the  catalogue  of  a  branch  of  the 
well-known  and  reliable  British  seed  firm,  George  Carter  and  Com- 
pany, located  at  Pietermaritzburg,  South  Africa,  speaks  for  itself. 

A  magnificent  winter  grass  for  fairly  good  lands.  This  is  our  sixth  season 
of  experience  with  this  grass,  and  we  have  had  no  reason  as  yet  to  alter  our  high 
opinion  of  its  value.  For  farms  where  the  land  is  of  a  poor,  light,  sandy  nature, 
we  do  not  recommend  it.  But  on  good,  fairly  heavy  loams  (say  wherever  a 
good  crop  of  Mealies  can  be  grown),  or  on  deep  veldt  lands,  it  is  magnificent. 
The  yield  of  luscious  feed  is  tremendous  all  the  year  round,  and  it  is  particularly 
valuable  for  the  winter  and  early  spring  months,  growing  even  during  heavy  frost 
and  long  droughts.  The  rooting  system  is  very  large  and  deep.  In  seed  the 
plants  reach  the  height  of  over  five  feet,  while  the  ordinary  growth  without  seed- 
stems  is  about  three  feet  high,  and  just  like  a  permanent  crop  of  rich  green 
barley.  It  can  be  cut  continually,  growing  at  the  rate  of  an  inch  per  day. 
While  growing  with  great  success  on  dry  lands,  it  will  well  repay  both  good 
manuring  and  irrigation. 

For  dairy  farms  we  can  not  praise  it  too  highly,  particularly  for  producing 
milk  during  the  colder  months,  when  other  food  is  so  scarce;  while  it  is  just 
the  grass  to  grow  near  the  homestead  for  cutting  for  calves,  horses,  or  indeed 
any  animal  which  eats  grass.  There  is  no  need  to  say  that  the  cattle  relish  it — 
it  is  a  difficult  matter  to  keep  them  fenced  out  at  all  from  a  crop  of  this  grass. 

I  refrain  from  quoting  the  praiseworthy  accounts  of  it  in  the 
public  press  of  Australia,  as  we  are  unable  to  determine  whether  the 
comments  are  attributed  to  Phalaris  commutata  or  Phalaris  stenop- 
tera,  both  of  which  (as  previously  explained)  are  indiscriminately 
mixed  on  the  seed  market  of  that  country. 

Even  if  the  Harding  grass  should  not  prove  to  be  adaptable  to  a 
wide  range  of  territory  in  California  and  elsewhere,  the  immense 
st  fetches  of  land  between  the  foothills  on  the  east  and  west  in  the 
great  central  valley,  where  in  many  instances  onty  a  poor  crop  of 


1917]  Kennedy:  New  Grasses  for  California,  I  !) 

grain  is  secured  every  other  year,  would  be  sufficient  to  warrant  its 
thorough  investigation. 

A  system  of  pasturing  cattle  and  sheep  on  Harding  grass  for  a 
period  of  years  would  be  most  profitable  as  well  as  beneficial  to  the 
soil. 

Much,  however,  remains  to  be  investigated,  particularly  as  to  its 
ability  to  withstand  grazing  without  injury,  its  carrying  capacity, 
nutritive  value,  longevity,  and  the  quality  of  beef  and  mutton  that 
it  will  produce. 

Transmitted  March  30,  1917. 


PLATE  1 
Plialaris  stenoptera,  Hack. 
Fig.  1.     Root  system.     A.  Velvety  covering  on  roots.       B.  Short  stolons. 
Fig.  2.     Portion  of  sheath,  blade,  and  culm.     A.  Ligule. 

Fig.  3.     Spikelet.     A.  First  empty   glume.     A'.   Wing  of   glume.     B.   Second 
empty  glume.     B'.  Wing  of  glume.     C.  The  lemma.     D.  Palea.     E.  Stamens. 

Fig.  4.     Lemma  and  sterile  florets.     C.  Lemma.     F.  Ovate  scales.     H.  First 
sterile  floret.     G.  Second  sterile  floret. 


[10] 


UNIV.    CALIF.    PUBL.    AGR.    SCI.,    VOL.    3 


[  KENNEDY  ]    PLATE    1 


---•A 


2 


A' 


F-—> 


PLATE  2 

Spike-like  panicles  of  Flialaris  stenoptera,  showing  different  stages  of  develop- 
ment. 


[12] 


UNIV.    CALIF.    PUBL.   AGR.    SCI.,    VOL.    3 


[  KENNEDY  ]     PLATE    2 


PLATE  3 

Young   plant   of   Phalaris  stenoptera,   showing  stooling  habit   and   character 
of  roots. 


[141 


UNIV.    CALIF.    PUBL.    AGR.    SCI.,    VOL.    3 


KENNEDY  |    PLATE    3 


PLATE  4 

First-year  growth   of  Phcdaris  st<  noptera,   dense   tender  leafage  in  January, 
1916. 


[1GJ 


UNIV.    CALIF.    PUBL.    AGR.    SCI.,    VOL.   3 


[  KENNEDY  ]    PLATE   4 


PLATE  5 

Phalaris  stenoptera   in   full   bloom,   second  year   from   seed.      Photo  taken   at 
University  Farm,  May  2-"),  1916.     Height  of  plant,  five  feet. 


[18] 


UNIV.    CALIF.    PUBL.    AGR.    SCI.,    VOL.    3 


[ KENNEDY |    PLATE    5 


(f        J 


l    J. 


u  Mi 


\ 


■■V'-'v: .. 


/ 


m^ 


J  :  <-.  C- 


PLATE  6 

Pludaris  steno/>t<  ra,  showing  strip  cut  across  plat  and  druse  aftermath.      Photo 
taken  May  2-",,   1<)16. 


[20] 


UNIV.    CALIF.    PUBL.    AGR.    SCI.,    VOL.    3 


[  KENNEDY  |    PLATE    6 


PLATE  7 

Phalarls  stcnoptcra — sheaves  from  experimental   plot,   University   Farm,   May 
25,  1916. 


[22] 


UNIV.    CALIF.    PUBL.   AGR.    SCI.,    VOL.    3 


| KENNEDY |    PLATE   7 


m 

■ 


■ 


PLATE  8 
Lodged  plants  represent  the  annual  species,  the  so-called  Phalaris  commutata 
with  an  erect  perennial  clump  of  Phalaris  stenoptera.     Seed  came  to  us  from  Aus- 
tralia under  name  of  Phalaris  bulbosa. 


[24] 


UNIV.    CALIF.    PUBL.    AGR.    SCI.,    VOL.    3 


\ KENNEDY ]    PLATE    8 


\N 


V1-  ■  >Y 


;»3 


